Polo police officer receives state recognition for lifesaving response to December house fire

POLO – A Polo police officer has been recognized by state Rep. Tony McCombie, R-Savanna, for his lifesaving actions while responding to a house fire in December.

Patrol officer Kaden Coppotelli was the first to arrive at 611 N. Division St. the morning of Dec. 17, 2024. He was advised that there was possibly a person inside the home, unable to leave because of health issues.

Coppotelli ran into the home and found an elderly man in the kitchen. He carried the man outside to safety as other first responders began to arrive, Polo Police Chief Matt Coppotelli said in an interview with Shaw Local.

McCombie presented the certificate from the state of Illinois to Kaden Coppotelli at the Jan. 20 Polo City Council meeting.

It felt “kind of surreal,” Kaden said in an interview with Shaw Local. “Especially coming from the state of Illinois. It was just really special and caught me off guard.”

“It’s definitely a really special award that very few officers get during their career,” Matt Coppotelli said.

Matt served for 27 years at the Dixon Police Department before becoming Polo’s police chief Jan. 2, 2024.

Kaden, who is the police chief’s son, started at the department about a year ago, Matt said.

“It is a great start. I’m very proud of him,” Matt said.

The Polo Fire Protection District was notified of the fire with the possibility of a person inside at 8:29 a.m. Dec. 17, Polo Fire Chief Jim Ports said in a previous interview with Shaw Local.

Kaden Coppotelli found an open door that led into the kitchen and went inside to find the elderly man standing across from the fire. He tried to put out the fire but was unable to, and “he carried the man to safety outside,” Matt Coppotelli said.

Ports said that when he arrived at the scene, “the police had the occupant right here on the north side of the house.”

Polo firefighters cleared the house and recovered three large dogs who survived. The firefighters also recovered two cats but, despite resuscitation efforts, they died, Ports said.

Unfortunately, one of the dogs had suffered severe smoke damage to its lungs, and a family member made the decision to have it euthanized, veterinarian Dr. Shauna Roberts of the Polo Animal Hospital said in a previous interview with Shaw Local. The family also lost a pet bird in the fire.

“I believe it is a total loss,” Ports said, referring to the damage to the two-story home. “The main fire was in the front living room. It did a lot of damage.”

Area departments providing mutual aid included Dixon Rural, Oregon, Mt. Morris and Milledgeville.